Politics
Code: 43835 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4316227 Applied Philosophy | OB | 0 | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Oriol Farrés Juste
- Email:
- Oriol.Farres@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- catalan (cat)
External teachers
- Francisco David Corrales Cordón
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites
Objectives and Contextualisation
This subject has two parts:
1. Politics and Emotions
Emotions are a pervasive, unavoidable and controversial aspect of political life. They can be seen either as a key factor contributing to the betterment of the political order or as a fundamental cause of instability and disorder. In the first case, philosophers have tried to explicitly identify which if any are the emotions best suited for their political purposes and which are the adequate means for politicians, authorities and governments to promote them; in the second case, the attempts have been focused on how to keep them under control or how to avoid their negative impact on the political order. This part of the course will be committed to the critical examination of Nussbaum's liberal approach to the nature and political function of human emotions. We will present the main points of her theory, trying to set them within a broader philosophical context, and we will identify and discuss its salient problems.
2. Populism
In this part of the subject, we will present and examine the phenomenon of populism from contemporary political philosophy. We will analyze the history of populism, its main manifestations and its diverse contexts; we will study the main contributions of populist political theories and their relation to the problems of hegemony, ideologies, political strategies, charismatic leadership and identification processes; Finally, we will evaluate the consequences, conflicts and complementations of populism in democracy.
Competences
- Apply knowledge of classical authors in the western philosophical tradition to current philosophical questions.
- Critically assess the implications on the human condition of new ideological, political, economic and technological forms that impact on the contemporary world.
- Identify and describe the relevant theoretical elements in contemporary ethical research, especially those associated with the question of good, justice and their political implications.
- Integrate knowledge and use it to make judgements in complex situations, with incomplete information, while keeping in mind social and ethical responsibilities.
- Search for, select and manage information autonomously, both from structured sources (data bases, bibliographies, specialized journals) and from information distributed on the web.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse philosophically the basic concepts, methods and theories in contemporary political philosophy.
- Discuss the central arguments in contemporary political philosophy rigorously, critically, creatively and autonomously.
- Search for, select and manage information autonomously, both from structured sources (data bases, bibliographies, specialized journals) and from information distributed on the web.
- Solve problems in new or little-known situations within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to the field of study.
- Understand and analyse present-day political issues on the basis of the theories described in the module.
- Understand the influences of classical philosophical thought on the principal philosophical views of 20th and 21st century politics.
Content
David Corrales:
1. General Introduction to the topic Politics and Emotions
Texts: Nussbaum, M. C., Upheavals of Thought, Cambridge UP, 2001, Part I, Chapter I (pp. 19-88).
______________, “A Problem in the History of Liberalism”, in Political Emotions, Why Love Matters for Justice, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2015, pp. 2-24.
2. Emotions, Religion and Politics
Texts: Nussbaum, M. C., “Equality and Love: Rousseau, Herder, Mozart” in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 27-53
______________, “Religions of Humanity I”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 54-81.
______________, “Religions of humanity II”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 82-109.
3. Good and Bad Emotions?
Texts: Nussbaum, M. C., “The Aspiring Society: Equality, Inclusion, Distribution”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 115-136.
______________, “Compassion: Human and Animal”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 137-160.
______________, “Compassion's Enemies: Fear, Envy, Shame”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 314-377.
______________, “How Love Matters for Justice”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 378-397.
4. Emotions, patriotism, nationalism and cosmopolitanism
Texts: Nussbaum, M. C., “Teaching Patriotism: Love and Critical Freedom”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 204-256.
5. Political Emotions and Aesthetics
Texts: Nussbaum, M. C., “Tragic and Comic Festivals: Shaping Compassion, Trascending Disgust”, in Political Emotions, cit., pp. 257-313.
Oriol Farrés:
1. Canovan, Margaret. "Trust the People! Populism and the Two Faces of Democracy", Political Studies (1999), XLVII, 2-16.
2. Laclau, Ernesto. "Populism: What's in a Name?", Populism and the Mirror of Democracy (Francisco Panizza ed.), London, verso, 2005, pp 32-49.
3. Stavrakakis, Yannis. "Populism and Hegemony", The Oxford Handbook of Populism (Edited by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy), Oxford university Press, 2017, pp 535-553.
4. Panizza, Francisco. "Populism and Identification". The Oxford Handbook of Populism (Edited by Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser, Paul Taggart, Paulina Ochoa Espejo, and Pierre Ostiguy), Oxford university Press, 2017, pp 406-422.
5. Arato, Andrew. "Political Theology and Populism". Social Research, vol. 80, 1, 2013, 143-172.
6. Moufee, Chantal. "Deliberative Democracy or Agonistic Pluralism". Social Research, 1999, 66, 3, 745-758.
7. Laclau, Ernesto. "Por qué construir un pueblo es la tarea principal de la política radical". Cuadernos del CENDES, vol 23, núm. 62, 2006, 1-36.
8. Mouffe, Chantal. "Feminism, Citizenship and Radical Democratic Politics", Social Postmodernism: Beyond Identity Politics, Cambridge University Press, 1995, pp. 369- 384.
Methodology
Each class will be divided into two parts: master classes and seminar sessions. The seminar requires the active participation of students, who will be the ones who will direct the commentary of the different texts assigned to each class day.
Directed (theoretical classes and classroom practices). They will be adapted, if necessary, in whatever percentage, to virtual teaching, through the various existing systems (Teams, narrated powerpoints, videos, podcasts, etc.).
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Sessions | 35 | 1.4 | 1, 6, 4 |
| Study | 66 | 2.64 | 3 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutoring | 17 | 0.68 | 1, 6, 5, 2 |
Assessment
The evaluation will be continued and contains two elements: a) two oral presentations of a subject (25% of the final grade each) and b) the written presentation of a work (50%). There will be an oral presentation for each part of the course. The written work will be on the rest of the content of the course and will be evaluated by the two teachers. Each teacher will set a date and place for the review of the evaluation. There will also be a supplementary assessment if the student fails: the date will be agreed with the Faculty.
At the time of each assessment activity, the teacher will inform the student (Moodle) of the procedure and date of review of grades.
The student will receive the grade of "Not assessable" as long as he / she has not submitted more than 30% of the assessment activities.
To participate in the recovery, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade.
To participate in the recovery, the student must have obtained a final minimum grade of 3.5.
Plagiarism: In the event that the student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an assessment act, this assessment act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instructed. . In the event of several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade for this subject will be 0.
In the event that the tests cannot be carried out in person, their format will be adapted (maintaining their weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB’s virtual tools. Homework, activities and class participation will be done through forums, wikis and / or exercise discussions through Teams, ensuring that all students can access them.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 25% | 8 | 0.32 | 1, 6, 4, 2 |
| Oral presentation | 25% | 8 | 0.32 | 1, 6, 4, 2 |
| Paper | 50% | 16 | 0.64 | 1, 3, 6, 5, 4, 2 |
Bibliography
Further readings will be suggested during the sessions.